Nozzle guide vanes are used for instance in gas turbine engines to guide air therethrough. Nozzle guide vanes generally comprise a pair of aerofoils extending between two spaced plates. The aerofoils have to be orientated in a particular way relative to the other aerofoil in the pair, and also relative to adjacent vanes. During manufacture of nozzle guide vanes, some manufacturing differences invariably occur, such that machining operations such as grinding have to be carried out on the vanes subsequent to casting.
Nozzle guide vanes have to be held securely during such machining operations to enable the operations to be carried out, and also to provide a reaction to any machining forces applied thereto. Because each guide vane is slightly different, it is necessary for each component to be held slightly differently.
Previously difficulties have been encountered in holding nozzle guide vanes during machining operations, and in many instances it has been necessary to remount the nozzle guide vanes between different operations. For instance, up to eight separate set ups have been used at times to hold a nozzle guide vane during grinding operations.